Introduction We have covered a multitude of themes in American Lands this year based on how nature was and is viewed, and how nature impacts everyday life. Whether it was from the three early the creations stories, or to the recent events such as our campus and wilderness walks, nature plays a usually unknown but very impactful part in our life. We started off with the three creations stories, moved onto certain people and their views of nature in the 16, 17, and 1800's, then finished by reading books such as the Great Gatsby and Into the Wild, and watching powerful films like Koyaanisqatsi.
Current View of Nature and its Use in Today's Society
Nature is regarded as anything that has not been altered or used by humans. We use nature nowadays more than ever. What used to be free flowing streams and growing forests are now busy streets with towering skyscrapers and street vendors selling many different types of food. We use trees for paper, homes, and furniture. We use corn for gas, and plants for food. Nature is I believe nature plays a genuine role in our society. For one, people use nature as a getaway from their everyday, stressful lives. Whether people use it to relax, or they are vacationing. You may not believe it, but nature is around you at all times. When we think of nature, we think of streams, rivers, forests, and jungles, places where there aren't any huge skyscrapers and beeping cars at every corner. But is all of this truly nature? In my opinion, it isn't. We have altered it so much, that it isn't "natural" anymore. A true "natural" place is a place where humans have not altered nature the slightest bit. Like places in Antarctica, or different parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Russia. Because the conditions are too harsh. Even some places in the jungles of the Amazon. Those are truly natural places since humans have not altered them. Yet there are people, such as Dominy and Brower, who view nature and how it should be acted upon differently. This leads to much argument and controversy.
Using the two initial texts, explain how our society views and should view/use/treat nature and wilderness. Citing examples from the two texts create a piece that states where we are today with our understanding of nature and it’s use and influence on our lives. Take from the many things we discussed to illuminate your point. How We Should View Nature and Wilderness.
I believe nature should be treated with respect because one, it helps us so many times in our daily lives, and two, we need to preserve it so we can still gather resources without ever running out. Based on the two texts we read, there are many different views on nature. Brower and Dominy from, "Encounters with the Archdruid", share opposite opinions on how we should use nature. Brower is very conservative, he wants nature to stay the way it is, without humans changing or altering it in any way. Dominy on the other hand, would rather we use nature for the benefit of humans, like using dams for example. Then we went on to Michael Pollen's, "The Idea of a Garden." He, in my opinion, represents Dominy's, and Brower's views fairly. Pollen says that we should "use nature to our benefit, but not alter it completely." This supports Brower's view of not changing nature, and Dominy's view of using nature for human benefit. I guess what Pollen is trying to say is, the the earth is a garden, and we need to protect it. It's almost impossible for humans to live without the resources provided by nature, but it is possible to not alter its course completely. Nature influences are lives much more than we think, whether it's for everyday use like paper and pencils, or for long term effects like homes and furniture. It's safe to say that you see, hear, smell, touch, or taste a piece of nature everyday. What worries Brower is the fact that we use it so much without realizing it, and at one point, there just won't be enough resources to go around. Hence the "conversationalist approach." Dominy on the other hand, wants to keep using nature for human benefit, but does not want to destroy it completely. For instance in the book he has built many dams that have created lakes, streams, and rivers to help bring water to towns and farms in need. He points out that not only does this help other people and places, but it is not altering nature's course. It is simply "changing the way water flows." What's important is that no matter what view, each person wants to respect nature, and that should be our main goal. How do Dominy and Brower get their idea of nature in the first place? Well, to start off, why not look into some of the most original and oldest views of nature.
Genesis
The differences in the two stories of how the world was created are pretty but they both share an idea of how the world was created. In Genesis, the world was created for the purpose of Man. When God creates the world, nothing goes wrong. " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." God went on to give light to the world, he created day and night, the oceans, plants and animals, and most importantly he created a man and a woman. He told them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." He gave them many things to eat as well. But one thing he did not allow was to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, "for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” But the woman convinced the man to eat the fruit, and they were cursed by God, one of the consequences being pain in childbirth. So if it were for Eve, childbirth would not be such a pain. Now that Adam and Eve had to work for their food, hardships were created. Such as thorns on the ground and making him work for his food. This is how some religions believe the world was created. Yet the Pima creation story is totally different, Adam and Eve are not the first people to be placed on Earth, and the Pima Creation Story has a different view.
The Pima Creation Story
The Pima creation story differs greatly from the Genesis story because it has the idea that God is not perfect. The Doctor of the Earth, Juhwertamahkai, happens to be very mistake prone. He not only "messes up" when he tries to create a world, he kills everyone that was in the world at the time as well! For instance he creates a world, and puts humans on it, the problem is that the humans never died, so they began to eat each other. He immediately destroyed the world and all the people that were living in it. In fact, he tries several times before he creates what he thinks is the "perfect" world. This destroys the idea of the Genesis story because in Genesis, the moment God created something, it was perfect and did not need to be changed. In the Iroquois creation story, it shows that not everyone is perfect, even the Doctor of the World. The Iroquios Creation story is more closely related to the Pima story than the Genesis story, but it still has its own view of how earth and its people were created.
The Iroquois Creation Story
The Iroquois story is even a stranger one. The Sky woman created the earth by gathering mud from the bottom of the sea, and spread it on the back of a turtle, the mud grew to the size of North America. When the Sky Woman stepped onto the land, she sprinkled dust into the air and created stars, and she created the moon and the sun. The Sky Woman had two sons named Sapling and Flint. Sapling was the kinder of the two brothers with Flint being a cold-hearted person. Sapling created many things that were good to people, such as fruit that was easy to pick, rivers that flowed both ways, and fish without bones. Sort of like God in the Genesis creation story. But Flint tried to destroy his brothers creations by putting thorns on bushes, only allowing rivers to flow one way, and creating monsters. The two brothers fought over who would rule the Earth, Sapling eventually won. Flint was a god and could not die, so he stayed on the Earth as a volcano and his anger is still felt when a volcano erupts. More on Iroqouis Creation Story
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather was a Puritan, and one of the first Americans to publish writing in English. His writings dealt with the corrupting influences of nature and wilderness on a God fearing populace. Mathers, who attended Harvard college at the age of 12, was one of the youngest ever people to be admitted to the college. In fact, during his graduation the president of Harvard said, "in this youth, Cotton and Mather shall, in fact as well as his name, joint together and one more appear in life." (6th ED 161) Which means that he is going to excel in life and live up to his family name. Mather did not disappoint his family, but he had troubles along the way. Mather was a kind person in the sense that he found "great satisfaction in doing good works, and organized societies for building churches, supported school's for children of slaves, and worked to establish funds for the indigent clergy." (6th ED 161) But most importantly, "no one has set forth more clearly the history of a people who transformed a wilderness into a garden and the ideal of a harmonious community that has been characterized time and again as the American dream." (6th ED 162) This is a great way of explaining how humans came to the untouched wilderness of North America and turned it into a garden by building homes and farms. Most of the wilderness on the east coast of North America was turned into "a garden," I believe in Mather's case it means: nature that is controlled by humans. He was an inspiration to Benjamin Franklin, who also wrote about what wilderness meant to him as well. However, subsequent writers such as Crevecoeur and Jefferson were more concerned with other aspects of wilderness and society such as how we create a world power from our resources, or how farming and social order coincide.
Benjamin Franklin: "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America"
Benjamin Franklin starts of his passage with a controversial line, "Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the same of theirs." But Franklin does not necessarily see the Native Americans as savages, he just finds it odd that their customs, beliefs, and way of life are different from the Colonies. He says that "there are no cultures where at least some people are nice, and at least some are rude." (6th ED Franklin). He writes that it is not good to call another group or culture "savages," because it is false generalization. He thinks that we should respect them. They have a different system of living than we do, for example; he says that there are no prison systems, and the men who are the smartest are chosen to make speeches. The women must memorize these speeches, then pass them on to future generations. Even though it is different than our culture, it is in some ways more civil because there is no fighting, and everyone lives without much complaint. Franklin says that the savages are just as civil as other cultures and we should not view ourselves as better than them. Basically the British had prejudice against the Native Americans, and Franklin did not want the same attitude from the Colonies towards the Native Americans. Not only did Benjamin Franklin share similar views with Thomas Jefferson, he also shared the same ideas and wrote about them similarly to Jefferson, who wrote "Jefferson's Notes on Virginia."
Jefferson's Notes on Virginia
The first chapter I read was about Rivers, which is Query #2. He basically lists every river in Virginia, and then talks a little bit about it. For example for the river the " "Guiandot," he says that, it is about 60 yards wide, the same as the lat river he mentioned, but is more rapid, and that it may be navigated by canoe for 60 miles. It was interesting to read about the different rivers though, and how Jefferson described each one.
The second chapter I read was Query #4 which Jefferson called "Mountains." He found it interesting how the mountains are almost parallel with the sea coast. Jefferson again doesn't really explain is opinions on the mountains, but he sort of gives us an idea of what the land around Virginia looks like, though he does say that, "the passage of the Patowmac through the Blue ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature." Jefferson's Notes on Virginia attracted much attention from its readers. Most importantly, it attracted attention from foreigners who were eager to come live in America, but doubtful on whether it was a good idea or not. Crecevoeur seemed convinced and intrigued by what Jefferson had to say, and even wrote his opinion on Wilderness and America.
Crevecoeur: Letters From an American Farmer
Letters from an American Farmer was published by Jean de Crevecoeur in 1782, but it was written before the American Revolution. Crevecoeur's main focus in his book is how America is a free society. He is impressed with the way everyone is allowed to have their own religion, and how there aren't hundreds of rules and laws telling people what they can and cannot do. One line I found interesting was, "We are a people of cultivators, scattered over an immense territory, communicating with each other by means of good roads and navigable rivers, united by the silken bands of mild government, all respecting the laws, without dreading their power, because they are equitable." This quote describes how we expanded have expanded all over the wilderness of the East Coast, and now use good roads and navigable rivers. We went from a small colony in Jamestown in 1613 to almost 2.8 million people living in the United States in 1780. (Source) Crevecoeur also talks about how many different backgrounds can live together peacefully, people from all over Europe immigrated to the colonies, and almost everyone prospered. He writes very highly of the colonies, and is impressed by how the use nature to successfully live and prosper in the colonies. Crevecoeur seemed generally surprised at what America had to offer, and wrote very highly about it during his time there. People also seemed generally surprised when Mr. Winkle showed up at their door. Irving - Rip and Legend and Scooby Doo
Rip Van Winkle is a story written by Washington Irving. Rip lives with is wife and kids in a village. His problem was that he always willing to help out other people, but he never did the jobs to support him and his family. It states in the book that Rip, "was ready to attend to any body's business but his own." (456-457). He was a good-hearted fellow, but his family did not prosper from his kindness to other people because he did not earn much money to support his family. So his kids had to wear ragged clothes, and his wife always nagged him about doing jobs around the house and farm instead of always helping other people. One day Rip was in the woods and came upon a gnome who offered him a strong liquor. He drank the liquor and fell into a deep sleep for 20 years. When he awoke, everything had changed. His beard had grown over a foot long, and his dog Wolf had left him.
In Scooby Doo: The Legend of Sleep Hollow, the gang are having a Halloween dance at an apparent mansion that happens to be haunted by, "The Headless Horsemen." The Headless Horseman roams around the Mansion grounds looking for a head that he lost during the revolutionary war because he was hit by a cannon square in the head. And ever since then, at night he goes around looking for another head to replace the one he lost. The gang have to solve whether or not their is actually a Headless Horsemen, or someone is actually behind the mystery. This is involved with nature because it has a "supernatural" feel to it. A man riding around on a horse looking for a head is supernatural, and if you think about it, nature is supernatural as well. So they do actually relate!
Emerson: Nature Essays
Ralph Waldo Emerson had a very successful career as a writer. His first essay, "Nature," was published anonymously. It didn't sell very well though, only selling 500 copies at the time, but his ideas in the essay are interesting and creative. He talks about the foundation of transcendentalism, a belief system that espouses a non-traditional appreciation of nature. Almost everyone had been raised believing that Nature was created by God, or in the Native Americans case, the Pima creation story. He believes the only way we can really understand nature is study nature itself. Instead of seeing a plant and thinking, " Oh, God created it!", we should rather study the plant and find out more about it. He states in his essay, "First, the simple perception of natural forms is a delight," and, "There is still another aspect under which the beauty of the world may be viewed, namely, as it becomes an object of the intellect." (6th ED 490) These two quotes are basically saying that viewing nature is not something we should view lightly. We should enjoy the beauty of Nature for what it really is, and not just something God created. Emerson's role plays perfectly into the hands of Huckleberry Finn because both are not on the same boat of God creating everything. Overtime both Huck and Emerson lean away from that idea and share their own opinion on Nature and Wilderness.
The Role Nature Plays in Huckleberry Finn Nature plays a big role in the escape of Huck and Jim from where they lived. If it weren't for the Mississippi, Huck and Jim may not have escaped if it weren't for the Mississippi river because it was their fastest source of escaping towards the south. They travel a lot more quickly on water than on land. The river really helps Huck in his search for independence, and Jim in his search for freedom. Jim and Huck do run in to many problems along the way while going down the Mississippi River, but they are making good progress so far. Many people saw the river as a threat, since it was seen as one of the most powerful forces in the United States, but Jim and Huck saw it as an opportunity to both reach their goals. Huck uses nature as a resource as well. For example, Huck uses a canoe and a raft that are both made out of wood that came from nature, and they are both surviving of food that the picked/found in the woods. It also poses as a danger, a storm could break their raft or make Jim or Huck become lost. It happened once in the story that a thick fog made Jim and Huck become lost. So you can see how great and helpful nature is, but it can become frightening and dangerous at any moment.
Huck showed in the beginning of the book that he did not want to be conformed to society. He enjoyed being free and relaxed in nature. He does not feel comfortable when he is at home or at school, or even in a public place really. When he is by himself or with a friend in nature, he feels like he is at home and more relaxed. Nature plays a big role in Huck's life not only because it's where he feel at home, but it is currently helping him find his way to independence. There is a connection between Maggie and Huck, but a strange one. Huck lives in a time period where basically everything around him could be considered 'close to nature', whereas in Maggie, everything around her is an URBAN wilderness, where the city and its problems surround her every move and action.
Urban Wilderness In Maggie You don't have to be in Nature to be in the wilderness. However strange that may sound, it's true! You can be in an urban wilderness. If you think about it, it's just like being in Nature. Now of course you won't have the trees all around you, hidden animals, soft grass and mud under your feet, in fact, you will have the complete opposite! You live in a society where you never know what is going to happen next. "Maggie: Girl of the Streets", depicts this wonderfully. She grows up in a place where there really aren't any morals, rules, or laws to live by. Her parents treat her very poorly, as they are always fighting, or they are drunk. So they never get the child care that children need. She also lives in a town where you never know when something can go wrong, such as fights among men, fights among small gangs of boys, rape, or even even a murder. She grows up never knowing what's going to happen next. Just like in the wilderness, the urban wilderness is always new and strange. You never know what you are going to see when you turn the corner, never know who you are going to meet, and you never know if something could go very wrong. If you were dropped in the middle of the woods, you wouldn't know where to go or what to do. The "Urban" wilderness is just like that. You find yourself in the middle of a city like Chicago, you don't know where you are, and you don't know where to do, you better be on the lookout for dangers! Maggie finds herself reject not only by her mother, but also by her loved one Pete. She leaves and is followed down to a river one night by a man. She dies probably because he raped her, then killed her. This shows the dangers of living in an urban wilderness like Chicago at that time period. Maggie would have almost felt at home in the Chicago expo due to the fact that it was basically like where she lived. Maggie lives in an urban wilderness, and you could say that's exactly what the Chicago Expo was as well! Chicago Expo Imagine going to the Chicago World Fair, hundreds of buildings, thousands of people who represent new cultures and way of life, you basically see something new around every corner. Just like in nature and the wilderness, you see something new everywhere. It is easy to get lost in both the World Fair, and in the wilderness. The world fair was something that nobody had ever seen before. It was like walking through an island, that had just been discovered. There were just so many new things to try, sights to see, foods to try, it was a truly unique experience for everyone who went. The World Fair was built in two years over swampy, muddy lands. During the construction of the fair, many problems were posed. Since a large percentage of Chicago was immigrants, many gangs and clubs were created, that caused much violence and chaos. For example during the fair, there were many problems such as pickpockets, fires that could break out, and people trying to cheat you out of your money. It almost seems like the World Fair was sort of a money making scheme. Many big businesses owned a certain section of the fair. For example the food provided was all owned by one company, so they could raise prices dramatically in order to make more money. This is what they ended up doing, and food was very costly throughout the fair. The city indeed made this the biggest, and most impressive world fair ever, but few people who went to it, actually wanted to learn about the ancient civilizations, the new cultures such as the peaceful Japanese, and all the latest inventions displayed. The most popular parts of the fair were all the bars, prostitutes, and things that fulfilled people's desires at the fair. Many monopolies saw this as a chance to make money, so high prices and expensive merchandise were presented at the fair. Since people knew they would never see anything like it again, they wanted to buy these things, and a lot of money was made. As impressive as the world fair was, it was also a dangerous place where you were never quite out of the reach of "danger." It heavily displayed the greed and lack of morals of the people at the time. American Lands Theme in The Great Gatsby and Koyaanisqatsi
The Great Gatsby applies to the American Lands theme, because of the sort of "jungle" of people in the book. Throughout the book, you aren't really certain whether that characters are telling the truth about something, or whether they are lieing about it. The have an unknown and hidden attitude. Take Gatsby for example, he says he throws all these parties because he wants to be on everyone's good side, and he wants everyone to enjoy themselves. Yet the only reason he threw the parties, was to see if his life long love Daisy would show up? Nick is fooled and believes everything Gatsby says, as are all the characters in the book. Just like the characters in the Great Gatsby are unknown, so are nature and wilderness! Another way they are related, is the way the author, Scott Fitzgerald, depicts living as an Amercan and fulfilling the Amercan dream. There are classic cases of the rich trying to be better than one another, and all the complications and trickery that go along with living in the West Egg. The real problem in the book is money! All the characters try to achieve their "personal" goals with money. Whether it's trying to impress someone else, or trying to make someone else looks bad. This book is said to be one of the best literature pieces ever written, due to the fact that it shows all the chaos that goes on in trying to achieve the American Dream In the beginning of Koyaanisqatsi, I was in a way confused. Why are we watching a film about rolling hills, blue skies, and wildlife in parts of the United Stats? But as the film progressed, I began to understand that the relationship between nature and man are a lot closer than we think! The film transitions quite cleverly from showing nature, showing man in contact with nature, and showing city/human life. It all sort of fit together like a puzzle. The music went along very well I thought, definitely made the film a lot more interesting. Koyaanisqatsi fits the theme of American Lands because it really shows how nature and man are connected. Even though there wasn't a narrarator to explain what was going in, I feel like the audience could sort of figure it out for themselves. This wasn't just a movie of random clips from around American, it had a message saying "Hey, everthing is connected man!" We could realease Koyaanisqatsi into theatres around the United States today, and I feel like people would think it was made in the past couple of years because it pretty much depicts the situation we are in today. Though it does not seem like it, the movie definitely shows the American Lands theme.
Campus Walk
The campus walk was a good alternative to sitting in class. I enjoyed conversing with my classmates, and I felt pretty relaxed after it. It was warm, but not hot, so it was a great temperature. I wrote down what I saw, what I heard, and what I smelt. Though we were not really in "wilderness," We can't really get close to nature at Mercersburg Academy, basically because almost everything there has been renovated or planted, so it's hard to find a "wilderness" or "nature" like place on our walk. But I felt at the part in the enchanted forest, we were closest to what we would call "nature" in Mercersburg. After the walk I felt pretty relaxed and not so stressed. Maybe I should do one of these walks before every exam! I am definitely up for doing on of these again! After this walk, we increased to a bigger scale by taking on the Cowans Gap State Parks Wilderness.
Wilderness Walk
The nature walk was overall a great experience for me, and I think for the rest of the class as well. I enjoyed leaving the hustle and bustle of Mercersburg, to the quit and calmness of Cowens Gap State Park. At the beginning of the walk everyone looked pretty cold, but luckily I have done these nature walks before, so I came prepared with for layers to keep warm. Throughout the trip, I ended up taking off layers because some parts of the hike were actually pretty tough, since the hills felt like they the hills felt like they were like a vertical line. But if I have to reflect on the most important part of the hike, it would have to be how calm I felt. When we were sitting on the rocks, and everyone was just listening, it felt like I had no worries in the world. The landscape was beautiful, the weather wasn’t too cold or warm, and the rocks were actually pretty “comfortable.” I also had time to reflect on this current school year, and past school years as well. I compared what was different and the same about each one. I would not have been able to do that at school because it is such a distracting place. I enjoyed talking with all my classmates and the teachers as well, I think that we all felt calm and we all enjoyed the peacefulness of nature.
These men and stories have greatly influenced the way people view nature, but each person viewsnature and wilderness differently, what do you think? Poll Question Do You Really Care About Nature?
I care about nature, and I would go out of my way to stop someone if they were harming it. - 35%
I care about nature, and I would go out of my way to stop someone if they were harming it. - 65%
I really don't care about nature. - 0%
Stefan Kempe
American LandscapeMr. McGuire
Introduction
We have covered a multitude of themes in American Lands this year based on how nature was and is viewed, and how nature impacts everyday life. Whether it was from the three early the creations stories, or to the recent events such as our campus and wilderness walks, nature plays a usually unknown but very impactful part in our life. We started off with the three creations stories, moved onto certain people and their views of nature in the 16, 17, and 1800's, then finished by reading books such as the Great Gatsby and Into the Wild, and watching powerful films like Koyaanisqatsi.
Current View of Nature and its Use in Today's SocietyNature is regarded as anything that has not been altered or used by humans. We use nature nowadays more than ever. What used to be free flowing streams and growing forests are now busy streets with towering skyscrapers and street vendors selling many different types of food. We use trees for paper, homes, and furniture. We use corn for gas, and plants for food. Nature is I believe nature plays a genuine role in our society. For one, people use nature as a getaway from their everyday, stressful lives. Whether people use it to relax, or they are vacationing. You may not believe it, but nature is around you at all times. When we think of nature, we think of streams, rivers, forests, and jungles, places where there aren't any huge skyscrapers and beeping cars at every corner. But is all of this truly nature? In my opinion, it isn't. We have altered it so much, that it isn't "natural" anymore. A true "natural" place is a place where humans have not altered nature the slightest bit. Like places in Antarctica, or different parts of Canada, Greenland, Iceland, and Russia. Because the conditions are too harsh. Even some places in the jungles of the Amazon. Those are truly natural places since humans have not altered them. Yet there are people, such as Dominy and Brower, who view nature and how it should be acted upon differently. This leads to much argument and controversy.
Using the two initial texts, explain how our society views and should view/use/treat nature and wilderness. Citing examples from the two texts create a piece that states where we are today with our understanding of nature and it’s use and influence on our lives. Take from the many things we discussed to illuminate your point.
How We Should View Nature and Wilderness.
I believe nature should be treated with respect because one, it helps us so many times in our daily lives, and two, we need to preserve it so we can still gather resources without ever running out. Based on the two texts we read, there are many different views on nature. Brower and Dominy from, "Encounters with the Archdruid", share opposite opinions on how we should use nature. Brower is very conservative, he wants nature to stay the way it is, without humans changing or altering it in any way.
Genesis
The differences in the two stories of how the world was created are pretty but they both share an idea of how the world was created. In Genesis, the world was created for the purpose of Man. When God creates the world, nothing goes wrong. " In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters." God went on to give light to the world, he created day and night, the oceans, plants and animals, and most importantly he created a man and a woman. He told them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground." He gave them many things to eat as well. But one thing he did not allow was to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, "for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” But the woman convinced the man to eat the fruit, and they were cursed by God, one of the consequences being pain in childbirth. So if it were for Eve, childbirth would not be such a pain. Now that Adam and Eve had to work for their food, hardships were created. Such as thorns on the ground and making him work for his food. This is how some religions believe the world was created. Yet the Pima creation story is totally different, Adam and Eve are not the first people to be placed on Earth, and the Pima Creation Story has a different view.
The Pima Creation Story
The Pima creation story differs greatly from the Genesis story because it has the idea that God is not perfect. The Doctor of the Earth, Juhwertamahkai, happens to be very mistake prone. He not only "messes up" when he tries to create a world, he kills everyone that was in the world at the time as well! For instance he creates a world, and puts humans on it, the problem is that the humans never died, so they began to eat each other. He immediately destroyed the world and all the people that were living in it. In fact, he tries several times before he creates what he thinks is the "perfect" world. This destroys the idea of the Genesis story because in Genesis, the moment God created something, it was perfect and did not need to be changed. In the Iroquois creation story, it shows that not everyone is perfect, even the Doctor of the World. The Iroquios Creation story is more closely related to the Pima story than the Genesis story, but it still has its own view of how earth and its people were created.
The Iroquois Creation Story
The Iroq
More on Iroqouis Creation Story
Cotton Mather
Cotton Mather was a Puritan, and one of the first Americans to publish writing in English. His writings dealt with the corrupting influences of nature and wilderness on a God fearing populace. Mathers, who attended Harvard college at the age of 12, was one of the youngest ever people to be admitted to the college. In fact, during his graduation the president of Harvard said, "in this youth, Cotton and Mather shall, in fact as well as his name, joint together and one more appear in life." (6th ED 161) Which means that he is going to excel in life and live up to his family name. Mather did not disappoint his family, but he had troubles along the way. Mather was a kind person in the sense that he found "great satisfaction in doing good works, and organized societies for building churches, supported school's for children of slaves, and worked to establish funds for the indigent clergy." (6th ED 161) But most importantly, "no one has set forth more clearly the history of a people who transformed a wilderness into a garden and the ideal of a harmonious community that has been characterized time and again as the American dream." (6th ED 162) This is a great way of explaining how humans came to the untouched wilderness of North America and turned it into a garden by building homes and farms. Most of the wilderness on the east coast of North America was turned into "a garden," I believe in Mather's case it means: nature that is controlled by humans. He was an inspiration to Benjamin Franklin, who also wrote about what wilderness meant to him as well. However, subsequent writers such as Crevecoeur and Jefferson were more concerned with other aspects of wilderness and society such as how we create a world power from our resources, or how farming and social order coincide.
Benjamin Franklin: "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America"
Benjamin Franklin starts of his passage with a controversial line, "Savages we call them, because their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility; they think the same of theirs." But Franklin does not necessarily see the Native Americans as savages, he just finds it odd that their customs, beliefs, and way of life are different from the Colonies. He says that "there are no cultures where at least some people are nice, and at least some are rude." (6th ED Franklin). He writes that it is not good to call another group or culture "savages," because it is false generalization. He thinks that we should respect them. They have a different system of living than we do, for example; he says that there are no prison systems, and the men who are the smartest are chosen to make speeches. The women must memorize these speeches, then pass them on to future generations. Even though it is different than our culture, it is in some ways more civil because there is no fighting, and everyone lives without much complaint. Franklin says that the savages are just as civil as other cultures and we should not view ourselves as better than them. Basically the British had prejudice against the Native Americans, and Franklin did not want the same attitude from the Colonies towards the Native Americans. Not only did Benjamin Franklin share similar views with Thomas Jefferson, he also shared the same ideas and wrote about them similarly to Jefferson, who wrote "Jefferson's Notes on Virginia."
Jefferson's Notes on Virginia
The first chapter I read w
"Guiandot," he says that, it is about 60 yards wide, the same as the lat river he mentioned, but is more rapid, and that it may be navigated by canoe for 60 miles. It was interesting to read about the different rivers though, and how Jefferson described each one.
The second chapter I read was Query #4 which Jefferson called "Mountains." He found it interesting how the mountains are almost parallel with the sea coast. Jefferson again doesn't really explain is opinions on the mountains, but he sort of gives us an idea of what the land around Virginia looks like, though he does say that, "the passage of the Patowmac through the Blue ridge is perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature."
Jefferson's Notes on Virginia attracted much attention from its readers. Most importantly, it attracted attention from foreigners who were eager to come live in America, but doubtful on whether it was a good idea or not. Crecevoeur seemed convinced and intrigued by what Jefferson had to say, and even wrote his opinion on Wilderness and America.
Crevecoeur: Letters From an American Farmer
Letters from an American Farmer was published by Jean de Crevecoeur in 1782, but it was written before the American Revolution. Crevecoeur's main focus in his book is how America is a free society. He is impressed with the way everyone is allowed to have their own religion, and how there aren't hundreds of rules and laws telling people what they can and cannot do. One line I found interesting was, "We are a people of cultivators, scattered over an immense territory, communicating with each other by means of good roads and navigable rivers, united by the silken bands of mild government, all respecting the laws, without dreading their power, because they are equitable." This quote describes how we expanded have expanded all over the wilderness of the East Coast, and now use good roads and navigable rivers. We went from a small colony in Jamestown in 1613 to almost 2.8 million people living in the United States in 1780. (Source) Crevecoeur also talks about how many different backgrounds can live together peacefully, people from all over Europe immigrated to the colonies, and almost everyone prospered. He writes very highly of the colonies, and is impressed by how the use nature to successfully live and prosper in the colonies. Crevecoeur seemed generally surprised at what America had to offer, and wrote very highly about it during his time there. People also seemed generally surprised when Mr. Winkle showed up at their door.
Irving - Rip and Legend and Scooby Doo
Rip Van Winkle is a story written by Washington Irving. Rip lives with is wife and kids in a village. His problem was that he always willing to help out other people, but he never did the jobs to support him and his family. It states in the book that Rip, "was ready to attend to any body's business but his own." (456-457). He was a good-hearted fellow, but his family did not prosper f
In Scooby Doo: The Legend of Sleep Hollow, the gang are having a Halloween dance at an apparent mansion that happens to be haunted by, "The Headless Horsemen." The Headless Horseman roams around the Mansion grounds looking for a head that he lost during the revolutionary war because he was hit by a cannon square in the head. And ever since then, at night he goes around looking for another head to replace the one he lost. The gang have to solve whether or not their is actually a Headless Horsemen, or someone is actually behind the mystery. This is involved with nature because it has a "supernatural" feel to it. A man riding around on a horse looking for a head is supernatural, and if you think about it, nature is supernatural as well. So they do actually relate!
Emerson: Nature Essays
Ralph Waldo Emerson had a very successful career as a writer. His first essay, "Nature," was published anonymously. It didn't sell very well though, only selling 500 copies at the time, but his ideas in the essay are interesting and creative. He talks about the foundation of transcendentalism, a belief system that espouses a non-traditional appreciation of nature. Almost everyone had been raised believing that Nature was created by God, or in the Native Americans case, the Pima creation story. He believes the only way we can really understand nature is study nature itself. Instead of seeing a plant and thinking, " Oh, God created it!", we should rather study the plant and find out more about it. He states in his essay, "First, the simple perception of natural forms is a delight," and, "There is still another aspect under which the beauty of the world may be viewed, namely, as it becomes an object of the intellect." (6th ED 490) These two quotes are basically saying that viewing nature is not something we should view lightly. We should enjoy the beauty of Nature for what it really is, and not just something God created. Emerson's role plays perfectly into the hands of Huckleberry Finn because both are not on the same boat of God creating everything. Overtime both Huck and Emerson lean away from that idea and share their own opinion on Nature and Wilderness.
The Role Nature Plays in Huckleberry Finn
Nature plays a big role in the escape of Huck and Jim from where they lived. If it weren't for the Mississippi, Huck and Jim may not have escaped if it weren't for the Mississippi river because it was their fastest source of escaping towards the south. They travel a lot more quickly on water than on land. The river really helps Huck in his search for independence, and Jim in his search for freedom. Jim and Huck do run in to many problems along the way while going down the Mississippi River, but they are making good progress so far. Many people saw the river as a threat, since it was seen as one of the most powerful forces in the United States, but Jim and Huck saw it as an opportunity to both reach their goals. Huck uses nature as a resource as well. For example, Huck uses a canoe and a raft that are both made out of wood that came from nature, and they are both surviving of food that the picked/found in the woods. It also poses as a danger, a storm could break their raft or make Jim or Huck become lost. It happened once in the story that a thick fog made Jim and Huck become lost. So you can see how great and helpful nature is, but it can become frightening and dangerous at any moment.
Huck showed in the beginning of the book that he did not want to be conformed to society. He enjoyed being free and relaxed in nature. He does not feel comfortable when he is at home or at school, or even in a public place really. When he is by himself or with a friend in nature, he feels like he is at home and more relaxed. Nature plays a big role in Huck's life not only because it's where he feel at home, but it is currently helping him find his way to independence. There is a connection between Maggie and Huck, but a strange one. Huck lives in a time period where basically everything around him could be considered 'close to nature', whereas in Maggie, everything around her is an URBAN wilderness, where the city and its problems surround her every move and action.
Urban Wilderness In Maggie
You don't have to be in Nature to be in the wilderness. However strange that may sound, it's true! You can be in an urban wilderness. If you think about it, it's just like being in Nature. Now of course you won't have the trees all around you, hidden animals, soft grass and mud under your feet, in fact, you will have the complete opposite! You live in a society where you never know what is going to happen next. "Maggie: Girl of the Streets", depicts this wonderfully. She grows up in a place where there really aren't any morals, rules, or laws to live by. Her parents treat her very poorly, as they are always fighting, or they are drunk. So they never get the child care that children need. She also lives in a town where you never know when something can go wrong, such as fights among men, fights among small gangs of boys, rape, or even even a murder. She grows up never knowing what's going to happen next. Just like in the wilderness, the urban wilderness is always new and strange. You never know what you are going to see when you turn the corner, never know who you are going to meet, and you never know if something could go very wrong. If you were dropped in the middle of the woods, you wouldn't know where to go or what to do. The "Urban" wilderness is just like that. You find yourself in the middle of a city like Chicago, you don't know where you are, and you don't know where to do, you better be on the lookout for dangers! Maggie finds herself reject not only by her mother, but also by her loved one Pete. She leaves and is followed down to a river one night by a man. She dies probably because he raped her, then killed her. This shows the dangers of living in an urban wilderness like Chicago at that time period. Maggie would have almost felt at home in the Chicago expo due to the fact that it was basically like where she lived. Maggie lives in an urban wilderness, and you could say that's exactly what the Chicago Expo was as well!
Chicago Expo
Imagine going to the Chicago World Fair, hundreds of buildings, thousands of people who represent new cultures and way of life, you basically see something new around every corner. Just like in nature and the wilderness, you see something new everywhere. It is easy to get lost in both the World Fair, and in the wilderness. The world fair was something that nobody had ever seen before. It was like walking through an island, that had just been discovered. There were just so many new things to try, sights to see, foods to try, it was a truly unique experience for everyone who went. The World Fair was built in two years over swampy, muddy lands. During the construction of the fair, many problems were posed. Since a large percentage of Chicago was immigrants, many gangs and clubs were created, that caused much violence and chaos. For example during the fair, there were many problems such as pickpockets, fires that could break out, and people trying to cheat you out of your money. It almost seems like the World Fair was sort of a money making scheme. Many big businesses owned a certain section of the fair. For example the food provided was all owned by one company, so they could raise prices dramatically in order to make more money. This is what they ended up doing, and food was very costly throughout the fair. The city indeed made this the biggest, and most impressive world fair ever, but few people who went to it, actually wanted to learn about the ancient civilizations, the new cultures such as the peaceful Japanese, and all the latest inventions displayed. The most popular parts of the fair were all the bars, prostitutes, and things that fulfilled people's desires at the fair. Many monopolies saw this as a chance to make money, so high prices and expensive merchandise were presented at the fair. Since people knew they would never see anything like it again, they wanted to buy these things, and a lot of money was made. As impressive as the world fair was, it was also a dangerous place where you were never quite out of the reach of "danger." It heavily displayed the greed and lack of morals of the people at the time.
American Lands Theme in The Great Gatsby and Koyaanisqatsi
The Great Gatsby applies to the American Lands theme, because of the sort of "jungle" of people in the book. Throughout the book, you aren't really certain whether that characters are telling the truth about something, or whether they are lieing about it. The have an unknown and hidden attitude. Take Gatsby for example, he says he throws all these parties because he wants to be on everyone's good side, and he wants everyone to enjoy themselves. Yet the only reason he threw the parties, was to see if his life long love Daisy would show up? Nick is fooled and believes everything Gatsby says, as are all the characters in the book. Just like the characters in the Great Gatsby are unknown, so are nature and wilderness! Another way they are related, is the way the author, Scott Fitzgerald, depicts living as an Amercan and fulfilling the Amercan dream. There are classic cases of the rich trying to be better than one another, and all the complications and trickery that go along with living in the West Egg. The real problem in the book is money! All the characters try to achieve their "personal" goals with money. Whether it's trying to impress someone else, or trying to make someone else looks bad. This book is said to be one of the best literature pieces ever written, due to the fact that it shows all the chaos that goes on in trying to achieve the American Dream
In the beginning of Koyaanisqatsi, I was in a way confused. Why are we watching a film about rolling hills, blue skies, and wildlife in parts of the United Stats? But as the film progressed, I began to understand that the relationship between nature and man are a lot closer than we think! The film transitions quite cleverly from showing nature, showing man in contact with nature, and showing city/human life. It all sort of fit together like a puzzle. The music went along very well I thought, definitely made the film a lot more interesting. Koyaanisqatsi fits the theme of American Lands because it really shows how nature and man are connected. Even though there wasn't a narrarator to explain what was going in, I feel like the audience could sort of figure it out for themselves. This wasn't just a movie of random clips from around American, it had a message saying "Hey, everthing is connected man!" We could realease Koyaanisqatsi into theatres around the United States today, and I feel like people would think it was made in the past couple of years because it pretty much depicts the situation we are in today. Though it does not seem like it, the movie definitely shows the American Lands theme.
Campus Walk
The campus walk was a good alternative to sitting in class. I enjoyed conversing with my classmates, and I felt pretty relaxed after it. It was warm, but not hot, so it was a great temperature. I wrote down what I saw, what I heard, and what I smelt. Though we were not really in "wilderness," We can't really get close to nature at Mercersburg Academy, basically because almost everything there has been renovated or planted, so it's hard to find a "wilderness" or "nature" like place on our walk. But I felt at the part in the enchanted forest, we were closest to what we would call "nature" in Mercersburg. After the walk I felt pretty relaxed and not so stressed. Maybe I should do one of these walks before every exam! I am definitely up for doing on of these again! After this walk, we increased to a bigger scale by taking on the Cowans Gap State Parks Wilderness.
Wilderness Walk
The nature walk was overall a great experience for me, and I think for the rest of the class as well. I enjoyed leaving the hustle and bustle of Mercersburg, to the quit and calmness of Cowens Gap State Park. At the beginning of the walk everyone looked pretty cold, but luckily I have done these nature walks before, so I came prepared with for layers to keep warm. Throughout the trip, I ended up taking off layers because some parts of the hike were actually pretty tough, since the hills felt like they the hills felt like they were like a vertical line. But if I have to reflect on the most important part of the hike, it would have to be how calm I felt. When we were sitting on the rocks, and everyone was just listening, it felt like I had no worries in the world. The landscape was beautiful, the weather wasn’t too cold or warm, and the rocks were actually pretty “comfortable.” I also had time to reflect on this current school year, and past school years as well. I compared what was different and the same about each one. I would not have been able to do that at school because it is such a distracting place. I enjoyed talking with all my classmates and the teachers as well, I think that we all felt calm and we all enjoyed the peacefulness of nature.
These men and stories have greatly influenced the way people view nature, but each person viewsnature and wilderness differently, what do you think?
Poll Question
Do You Really Care About Nature?
I care about nature, and I would go out of my way to stop someone if they were harming it. - 35%
I care about nature, and I would go out of my way to stop someone if they were harming it. - 65%
I really don't care about nature. - 0%